The cruise was ok, but I doubt I would do another with NCL. Too crowded, and too many unexpected upcharges, which are exactly the things I *don't* want to worry about when I'm on vacation.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Long lines for security and not enough space to hold all the people waiting.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was not bad, but there are too many people on this ship. The buffet at peak hours was an absolute zoo.
Also, too many things were upcharges. I always felt on the defensive because of being nickel-and-dimed. I know on Celebrity that a drink package includes bottled water, red bull, full cans of soda, coffees. On NCL, water, coffee, red bull are all an extra charge, and only small cups of fountain soda are included.
On NCL's private island, you can use your drink package for soda, but not alcohol. Why not? Probably just because they want another place to squeeze more out of you.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The only entertainment we did was the Beatles show (all 5 nights) and they were excellent. However the Cavern Club is way too small for the number of people that want to see the show, so you have to get there super early if you want a seat. The daily newsletter said doors open 45 minutes early, but in reality they opened an hour or more ahead of showtime and there was already a line of people waiting to get in.
They have an adjacent "Cavern on the Waterfront" bar on the promenade, but they don't play the music from inside the club on the speakers out there. WHY NOT?? With so many people trying get in, at least they could listen at the outdoor bar.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
The Beatles tribute band was supposed to play in the main theater on the last night. But due to rough seas, the Jersey Boys show was canceled on the next-to-last night, which meant the Beatles show was canceled.
However, there was no notice of this: No signs posted, no announcements (that I heard). When I asked at guest services about it, the person working the desk lied and said that the nights had been "swapped", and the Beatles show had already taken place the previous day. I said that I was at the show the previous night, and the band announced then that they'd be in the main theater the next night. Only then did he say that he "stood corrected", and the show was actually canceled.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Overall, the ship felt very crowded. One day we went to the buffet around noon, and there were *zero* open tables and long lines to get to some of the food stations.
We tried to plan our days so that we were eating at odd hours, just because the buffet and The Local restaurant were absolute madhouses.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Nice size, bed was comfortable.
One annoying thing is that the outlets are deactivated when you leave the room. So you can't charge a phone or other electronic device while you're elsewhere on the ship.
Ship tip
Considering your crowd tolerance before booking. Study your food and drink packages so you know exactly what is or isn't covered.
Nothing special. Like the ship, it seemed far too crowded. No open chairs to be found.
For some reason, NCL decided to have a private island that still requires a tender. We booked our tender the evening before, and we were assigned Tender "O", which meant that we didn't get to the island until about 2.5 hours after anchoring.
Get a drink or two before you head to the theater to wait for your tender, because your drink package doesn't work for alcohol on NCL's island. 🙄
@jojojaaka: The daily info sheet we got only said that soda packages were valid on the island. Since this was our first NCL cruise, and it didn't say anything about alcohol, we assumed that it was excluded.
At the very least, it was poor communication by NCL.
@Troublefollows: I'll take your word for it on the drink packages, since this was my first NCL cruise.
However, the daily guide distributed to the stateroom only said that soda packages were valid on the island. Nothing about alcohol packages. Because of that, I didn't even try to get a drink on the island. So it's possible that it was a miscommunication on NCL's part.
@JT1962:
Check my cruise history. This isn't my first cruise in March. As a
(former) college professor, I've done several cruises during spring break.
Spring break may change the demographics of the clientele, but it shouldn't noticeably impact the total number of passengers on board. A 4000 passenger ship doesn't sail with 3000 passengers the rest of the year. They almost always sail full.
As for the unexpected charges.... I outlined them in my review. The contract of carriage does not address those things. It's a legal document, not an inventory of included amenities.
We gave up trying to go to the buffet until almost closing time, regardless of what line your with, it's just one of those things, guess some folk are scared they miss something, the food is just as good when you go late
Sorry, but I have to disagree with the drink package not working on Great Stirrup. I have been there 4 times with four different NCL ships and the drink package has always worked. Last time was just this past January on the Encore. So, I doubt they changed that with such short notice and no kind of notification to past/current guests. I can see some of your gripes, but as the person above stated this is Spring Break season. Crowds should be expected.
Cruising while many are on Spring Break will always mean crowds. What charges were “unexpected”? The cruise contract everyone agrees to lists what is and is not included in the basic cruise fare. We rarely purchase anything other than the cruise fare and gratuities and have a great time.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
